With more than 30 participants present CEP started its first webinar of 2025 on Thursday 23 January. This session explored penalties and alternative punitive measures to imprisonment within the Polish justice system, offering valuable insights and practical examples to participants from across Europe.
Since its very beginning, the probation system in Poland has been organizationally linked to the courts. The system which is of a dual character gather over 5 000 professional probation officers and 15 000 community probation officers working within it. Currently, the prevailing model is a professional-community one, with professional probation officers (both family and criminal probation) being supported by community probation officers.
Poland has the highest probation population rates in Europe managing a significant number of cases involving electronic monitoring (around 7 000 active cases) as well as the highest number of juveniles (around 25 000) under probation supervision. As of 2022 the Institution of probation centers in Poland operates under the framework established by the Act on Supporting and Resocializing Juveniles. Probation centers are designed to provide educational and rehabilitative support to juveniles exhibiting signs of demoralization or those who have committed punishable acts.
Within the Lower Silesian Region, the Wrocław Restorative Justice Center (WCSN) and the Association of Court Probation Officers “Frontis” are the main initiators behind the promotion and application of restorative justice and its principles.
The presentation can be found here.
The video will be published soon.